Seven Ways to Step Up: PR Firms Should Lead Social Media Strategy—Here's How

Social media rule and now everybody wants to be on Facebook. In fact, our recent 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study reveals that 60 percent of Americans are using social media and of those, 59 percent are already interacting with companies online; 25 percent interact more than once per week. Expect your phone to ring any second with your clients demanding you augment their communications campaign with an innovative digital strategy.

 

While you're waiting for your clients to take a breath so you can interject your opinion, consider two things. First, be thankful the client called you. The seemingly obvious choice for developing a social media strategy might be a digital agency, but visual appeal and clever widgets don't necessarily achieve what should be the primary objective: sound strategy; getting the right message across to the right audience and securing the desired response. Social media strategy isn't an endgame. It's one part of a larger communications plan, which may include a Facebook application or Google gadget, if the audience is right.

 

No, the social media strategy is best left up to the PR agency. Our channel agnosticism affords us the luxury of looking at the entire media landscape before deciding which channels are best for our client's message AND audience.

 

The second thing to consider is this: Your client may not have realistic expectations of social media. You have to have a thick skin to play in the social media game, and clients have to be prepared to give up control of a conversation that may not always be kind to their brand. In social media, it's enough just to be a part of the conversation, but clients can't expect to lead it. Make sure you manage expectations. And, never enter into a social media strategy without helping your clients answer the two most important questions: "Is social media really the best spend of your money," and "Will it accomplish your communications goals?"

 

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